Star Wars: Andor is set five years before the events of A New Hope and Rogue One, and the Disney+ series will focus on the formation of the Rebel Alliance. While Disney quietly pushed back the series' release date recently, that's not the biggest thing that might dampen fans' enthusiasm for the show. It's possible that it changes how audiences perceive the Rebellion.
While Disney has stayed mum on Andor's exact plot points, there are a few that have been established. The series will highlight Mon Mothma and the galaxy's political sphere. More importantly, though, fans should expect the series to be noticeably dark in tone. Rogue One hinted that Cassian and the Rebels did questionable things during the formation of the Alliance. Andor will undoubtedly explore some of those questionable actions. Could the series make the Rebels villains in their own story?
In Revenge of the Sith, Obi-Wan bluntly declared that "only Sith deal in absolutes," but that's simply not true. Most of the Star Wars universe operates on very black and white terms. Characters are obviously heroes or they are obviously villains -- and rarely does someone switch sides. Even the Force itself is light and dark, with George Lucas saying grey Jedi do not exist. The main characters in the Skywalker Saga were always avatars of the light and dark sides of the Force, creating very clear stories about good and evil.
Yet Andor looks like it will change that. Like Rogue One, it will make life in the Rebellion less cut and dry -- because life is rarely filled with simple decisions. Sure, the Emperor is evil, but does that mean that every individual in the Empire is evil? Some people just want to be good citizens and follow the rules. Does not rebelling make them evil? In that way, Andor could end up humanizing the Empire by painting some members as real humans, rather than faceless enemies.
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Should Andor follow that path, it will also have the effect of potentially painting the Rebellion in a worse light when it explores whatever atrocities the Rebels committed in their early days. It's a common saying that one man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter. It all depends on perspective, and that's definitely something that Andor should embrace. In the grand scheme of things, the Rebels are the good guys, but seeing what some of them do on an individual level will be eye-opening.
Yet that's not totally a bad thing. The Rebels will no longer be unquestioned heroes that the fans can root for. But seeing the moral ambiguity that accompanies war will make Andor feel realistic on a level that some Star Wars projects simply don't try to attain. If nothing else, fans will see the less wholesome parts of the Rebellion and gain a more well-rounded perspective on the Star Wars universe.
Andor premieres Sept. 21, 2022 on Disney+.